"The path we've taken is to refresh RCA, so we're going to retire those brands," RCA COO Tim Corson tells the Reporter. "There may be a reason down the line to bring them back, but it's a clean slate here.

"The concept is that there is value on branding RCA and not having it confused or diluted by other labels," he said. "The artists have all been supportive. We didn't make this move without consulting our artists, and we haven't had any push-back. Frankly, they're the brand. We're defined by our artists."

The closures follow company-wide layoffs for RCA, which falls under the Sony Music umbrella and is the second oldest label in the U.S. behind Columbia.